Movies are often considered well-made or objectively good when they exhibit good plot development, acting, and general technique, but these aspects don’t necessarily make a movie culturally significant.
Often, movies that display cheesy acting, poor technique, or just objectively bad plot writing become impactful due to being viewed from an ironic or even artistic perspective.
According to a study conducted by Keyvan Sarkhosh from the Max Planck Institute, “appreciation of trash films is coupled with strong preferences for art cinema,” meaning that these poorly-made movies are being viewed not as trash, but as art pieces.
“Although to a large extent the participants stated that the films in question were cheaply made and thus ‘trash’,” Sarkhosh said, “they also confirmed that trash films are overwhelmingly perceived as a form of positive entertainment.”
When these trashy movies are viewed in a positive light as entertaining or amusing, they begin to be embraced as a part of camp culture or enjoyed purely on the basis of being tacky or eccentric.
Movies that are considered “campy” don’t necessarily have strong moral lessons; however, they provide culture through entertainment or even iconography.
Benjamin Wang of Film Inquiry argues that camp films “don’t try to tell us something,” in his article “Understanding camp films and their strangely tasteful descendants.”
Wang says that “trash” movies aren’t appealing due to valuable themes or morals, but rather due to enjoyment.
“If we enjoy them, it’s because we appreciate something about their artifice and indulgence,” Wang said.
This can be seen through many still-popular films from the early 2000s, such as the “Twilight” franchise.
Although they only scored 48% on Rotten Tomatoes, according to The Numbers’ “Box Office History,” the “Twilight” movies raked in over $3 billion worldwide on average.
“Twilight” quickly became significant due to its cheesy one-liners and overall corny acting, making it not only quotable but also all-around lovable, falling into a genre known as cult movies.
Cult movies are typically worshipped for their campy nature and, almost ironically, their poor, unpredictable plots.
Not only do people appreciate watching these movies, but they also go as far as incorporating them into their culture through merchandising, quoting, and integrating them into other forms of media.
This appreciation and “cult following” of camp movies isn’t limited to teen-flicks.
Other cult movies, such as “The Room” or “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” follow a similar format.
Although, well loved, even having watch party events and their own themed apparel, these movies have cheesey acting and poor plot structure.
However, these flaws don’t take away from the socitial impact these films hold. If anything, they add to it’s grandure.
Often the fame of these movies holds cultural significance, especially in fashion sense.
According to Gaile Robinson of the Los Angeles Times, “The Rocky Horror Picture show still influences fashion today, especially in night-life scenes.
“The costumes the live cast wears … bear a marked resemblance to clothing you see in the clubs around town,” Robinson said.
The influence of these trash movies isn’t limited to fashion trends.
Quotes, sayings, and community are often built off of these poorly made films.
Whether being enjoyed ironically or not, a common love for film, especially art cinema, can connect people and strengthen bonds, making these movies nothing short of impactful.
These pieces become as, if not more, valuable as objectively “good” movies.
This is generally because of the artistic and abnormal take they bring to the film industry, people’s lives, and pop culture as a whole.